Rules, Rules, Rules: How Not to Teach Driver’s Ed

Driver’s ed is the essential element to reversing the trends of driving related deaths in our country today. It is the sole source of information that most drivers access concerning rules of the road. However, if you ask any driver today what they remember from their driver’s ed class, the chances are that they will give you a few funny anecdotes and not much else. The fact of the matter is, the current system of driver’s education is flawed. This defect is reflected in the number of driving related deaths that our country faces each year. Young teens are drowned in information on turn signals, no passing zones, and what to do when a stoplight isn’t working. They are then expected to instantly absorb it all and begin driving in the real world. It is simply a set up for disaster. The root of the driving related death count in the nation can be found in this imperfect system.

There are two central shortcomings in the driver’s ed system of today. First, it does not engage students, especially those of my generation, most of whom have the attention span of sixth grader chugging a Red Bull. Secondly, it presents too much information in too little time. However, both of these problems are rectifiable.

First, let’s look at the problem of engaging students. At first, you might think, “Well that’s the problem with any class. Students just don’t want to listen!” However, the information that is taught in driver’s ed can literally mean the difference between life and death. This is something we need to strive to fix. There is one simple step that we can take in order to make these classes more engaging: make them more interactive. This does not just mean asking people questions now and then. One strategy that my instructor used which I found helpful was quizzing us after the lesson and giving a prize to those who did well. This made myself and my classmates much more eager to be attentive and listen to the information. Engaging students does not just have to take the form of weekly quizzes. It can also look like Jeopardy Games, allowing students to reteach some material, or presenting the material through entertaining mediums such as cartoons or comics. Anything that makes students genuinely want to listen. Once these classes are more engaging, I believe driving related deaths would be significantly reduced.

The second problem with driver’s ed is that it prevents too much information in too little time. Students are expected to master all that information in a couple months while they are given several years to master mathematics or history. It doesn’t seem right that critical information which can save lives is given less attention than stories about old dusty men. The timeframe of driver’s education needs to be significantly lengthened. Sure, it might be inconvenient. But it is a much better reality than thousands of people dying a year due to ignorant driving. Extending the timeframe for driver’s ed would make it much more cemented in people’s heads.

I have personally seen adults display little to no knowledge for the rules of the road on too many occasions then I care to count. On one particular instance, the driver did not know what the yield sign meant. This led to a near tragedy in the intersection. There have also been several cases when the driver begins checking their phone and lose control of the car. Luckily, I have never been seriously injured from an incident like this, but I have been far too close for comfort. Simply changing the structure of driver’s ed would significantly reduce the number of driving related deaths our country faces. The drivers of today must be familiar with the rules of the road in order to keep them safe. Besides these structural changes there is something that all of us could do individually to keep our roads safer. All drivers, including myself, should see it as their personal responsibility to stay up to date on the rules of the road. This means taking time to actually review and take note of any new rules. It is impossible for anyone to know every rule so the next best option is to be constantly reviewing them. As I said before, it may be inconvenient but the benefit far outweighs the cost.

Changing the current structure of driver’s education is the key to reducing driving related deaths. This means making class more engaging and holding them over a longer period of time. In addition to these changes, each of us can make it our responsibility to make sure we stay up to date on the rules of the road and save lives.